Fireworks and Whatnot
by kamitori
Summary: It's New Years and Hikari's down in the dumps. Perhaps a New Years party will help cheer her up? ikarishipping


**Fireworks and Whatnots**

**Summary:** Years have come and gone as Hikari, Satoshi, Takeshi, and everyone else left to go on their own separate paths, but perhaps one New Years party, suggested by Ayako, Hikari's mother, might change that. But of course, will the party and fireworks cheer up this sad little Coordinator? Or will it take more than that...?

**AN:** Written for Skittygirl on Serebii, who unfortunately, got no entrees for her contest. Hope it cheers you up! And yes, I know it's _too late_ for New Years, but whatever! It's written for a good cause. **nods head** (By the way, it has her mother, Sumomo, Kouki (Diamond—or the boy you can play in D/P), and Jun (Pearl—or the blond rival) in it, Skittygirl. Hope you don't mind)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Pokemon

* * *

Another year had gone by, another adventure had pass. Snow fell from the cloud-grey sky as a girl stared out her window with dimmed crystal blue eyes. Christmas was over and New Years was just around the corner as she lazily scanned the empty streets of small Futaba Town. Snow covered all of the pathways as people stayed inside their homes, sniggling next to their loved ones by the fire. 

"Hikari, can you please come down for a minute?" the girl's mother, Ayako called.

Sighing, Hikari pushed herself up from her seat by the cool window and made her way downstairs. Her mother looked at the girl with worried eyes as she pushed a lock of her daughter's silky midnight blue hair behind her ear. "Hikari, daijoubu?" she asked, pushing Hikari down into a chair.

"Hai," Hikari replied softly, ignoring her mother's worried glances. After all, what did she have to live for now? Several years had passed since she had met Satoshi, Takeshi, Nozomi, and many others, not to mention Shinji...The girl was a famous Pokemon Coordinator now, having won many Grand Festivals."Hikari, New Years is coming up," Ayako mentioned, sitting down next to the girl. "How about you invite your closest friends to a New Years party?"

Perking up at the statement, Hikari gave Ayako a bewildered look. "A-ano, really?" she asked in surprise. "It's been a really long time since I've seen everyone. I don't even think they remember me!"

"Of course they'll remember you," her mother replied. "Once you're dear to someone, they never forget you, even though it might seem like it. Don't worry, Hikari. Everything will turn out fine. Go ahead, enjoy yourself. I haven't seen you happy in such a long time. You need to learn how to smile again!" Pinching her daughter's cheek playfully, Ayako headed into the kitchen. "Call your friends, Hikari. I'm sure they'll be glad to see you again!"

A small smile graced Hikari's lips as her sad blue eyes brightened up a bit, gaining back a little of the girl's old sparkle. Her mother was right. It had been a long time since she had seen her friends, or smile for that matter. Maybe seeing them again will help. "Ariagatou, Mama," she replied before heading over to the phone.

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Her first call was to Satoshi in Pallet Town. He had become a Pokemon Master over the years, and the Champion of the Indigo Plateau League as well. Spending most of his time between Kanto and the Orange Islands, where he was also Champion, Satoshi was hard to contact, but luckily he was at home over the holidays.

"Hikari!" Satoshi greeted happily. He was the same as ever, really. Messy hair, zigzag markings on his cheeks, determined eyes that still burned with a passion, not much had change. He still even had Pikachu, who was still as strong as ever, albeit it was growing old. "So, how 'ya doing?"

Smiling, Hikari replied, "I'm fine. How about you?" The two exchanged several words before Hikari had managed to ask. "A-ano, Satoshi, I'm having a New Years party next week. Do you want to come? I'm also inviting Takeshi and Nozomi and..." Hikari hesitated a bit before finishing. "I might also be able to get a hold of Shinji as well...anyways, interested?"

"Sure!" was Satoshi's energetic reply. "We'll be there, right Pikachu?"

"Pi, Pikachu!"

"Great! Can't wait. Bye!"

Her next calls to Takeshi and Nozomi had also been successful. Like Satoshi, both of them were happy to see Hikari again as well. Biting her lip, Hikari's fingers hovered over the number pad, debating on whether to call Shinji or not. They were never really close, but a part of her wanted to invite Shinji, wanted him to come. Taking a deep breath, she dialed a number, but it wasn't Shinji's. Why should she call him? She didn't know his number anyways, and if she did, he probably wouldn't come.

Instead, she had dialed her childhood friend's number, Jun. After that, she had called Kouki, another friend of her's. Both of them had agreed to come. It was late in the afternoon by now, and the flurry of snow had stopped, the temperature just above zero.

Having no idea why a single thought had popped up in her mind at that time, Hikari rushed over to the closet and grabbed her leather coat, shouting, "Mama, I'm going to Tobari City for awhile. I'll be back before dinner!" before rushing out into the cold. She pulled out the Pokeball that contained Satoshi's Mukkubird, who had given it to her before leaving. "Mukkubird, Fly! To Tobari City!"

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Tobari City was covered in white snow that seemed to shine under the partially covered sun. It was much warmer here than in Futaba as Hikari walked through the city. Making sure to keep away from the road and the dirty snow, Hikari headed for Sumomo's Gym. If there was anyone who she trusted to tell her exactly where Shinji lived, it would be the tomboyish Gym Leader.

As always, the Gym wasn't closed, even on snow days. The Gym's motto was, after all, "Strong Trainers train in any condition!" Opening the door to the Gym, Hikari looked around before spotting the Gym Leader's red hair. It was kind of hard to miss, considering the weird hairstyle. "Sumomo, over here!"

The Gym Leader broke out into a big grin at the face of a familiar person. Slapping Hikari on the back, the girl said, "Hiya, Hikari! Nice to see you again! Do ya need anything?"

Rubbing her back, Hikari grimaced before giving the other girl a pained smile. "H-hai, Sumomo. I'm looking for Shinji. Do you know where he lives?"

"Eh, your looking for Shinji?" Sumomo asked in surprise before grinning again. "Sure I know where! Okay, once you exit the Gym, turn left and follow the road until you reach a road called Multiturn Road. There, take a right and continue until you reach Silver Star Street. It's the biggest house on the block. You can't miss it, though it might be hard to get to him. Good luck though!"

And with another big grin, Sumomo pushed the blue-haired girl out into the street, locked the door (she didn't unlock it until after Hikari had left), and waved at the shocked girl from inside, sporting another grin. "Hey, wait—" Hikari shouted, only to be interrupted by the Gym Leader pointing to her (Hikari's) left. Seeing that she could get no more out of Shinji's childhood "friend", Hikari sighed and followed Sumomo's instructions.

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It didn't take her long before she reached Multiturn Road. By then, Hikari was shivering badly, her fingers turning blue and her lips purple. Luckily, she wasn't far from Silver Star Street. In fact, she could see the tops of the houses in the distance, the setting sun casting a warm glow over the snow covered slate grey rooftops. Sighing with relief, the cold girl hurried down the road, hoping that she would be able to make it to Shinji's house before she froze.

Silver Star Street was lined with large houses. The ones closest to her were the size of small mansions while the farther she got, the bigger they became. Silver Star Street was a cul-de-sac, actually. The houses on both sides of the street made a sort of pathway to a large mansion, larger than any Hikari had ever seen.

Hikari almost gasped at the size of the house when she had gotten close enough. Sumomo was right. Shinji's house _was _the largest on Silver Star Street. Hikari almost choked on her own breath at the size. Taking several deep breaths, Hikari made her way over to the metal gates (which were encased in gold) and rang the doorbell.

A scratchy voice came over on the intercom a minute after Hikari had rang. "Who is it?" the voice asked.

"I-I'm Hikari," the girl replied in a shaky voice, partially from the cold, partially from shock. "I'm here looking for Shinji. He and I—"

"Yes, yes, I know who you are, troublesome girl," the voice replied irritatingly. "How did you know where to find me? But, I don't want to be blamed for your death, so you had better come on in."

As if on cue, the golden gates swung open and let the poor shivering girl in. Hurrying inside, the girl found that the front doors (made of heavy oak with engravings filled with silver) were held open by a butler, who bowed at the girl as she made her way inside. "You must be Hikari-san," the butler said after he and the girl had made it inside. "May I please take your coat? Melinda will take you to Shinji-sama."

Again, as if on cue, a maid appeared in front of the duo and bowed. "Hello, Hikari-san. I am Melinda. Please follow me. Shinji-sama is in his room right now." The maid led Hikari up several flights of stairs and then turned right, stopping a door at the end of the long hallway. "This is Shinji-sama's room in the east wing, Hikari-san. Please enjoy your stay!"

Hikari watched the maid turn to leave before knocking on the door in front of her. Like the front door, this door was also made of hard oak and had engravings of silver. "Wow, he's really rich," Hikari murmured before the door was wrenched open in front of her. Inside the door frame stood Shinji. He, like Satoshi, hadn't really changed much, except maybe gain more muscle. Hikari couldn't tell, for he was still wearing the same baggy pullover that she had gotten used to see him wearing. Her breath caught in her throat, Hikari gave him a weak smile.

"I was wondering when you would come," Shinji said, gesturing for her to come in. "Seriously, you're still as troublesome as ever."

Hikari glared at the teen in front of her before marching in after him. Shinji sat at his desk and watched the girl through his computer monitor as she glanced around the room. The bed was covered with a warm, feathery green blanked and the feather pillows were covered in the same shade of green. The floor was covered with a cream colored carpet and the windows had velvet forest green curtains hanging over them. On both the curtains, blanket, and pillow casings, gold thread was weaved through them in intricate patters.

"If you're done looking at my room," Shinji said, breaking Hikari's train of thoughts. "Do you mind telling me why you're here?"

Hikari's face reddened a bit as she laughed nervously. "Gomen. I'm sorry. It's just that, I never thought you were _that_ rich, so I was kind of shocked. Anyways, I was just here to ask you if—"

"How did you find out where I live?" the teen asked, waving his hand. "You asked Sumomo didn't you?"

"U-um, yeah." Shinji groaned but didn't say anything else. "A-anyways, I was wondering if you would—if you would..."

"Well, spit it out already! I don't have all night you know."

"IwaswonderingifyouwouldliketogotomyNewYearspartynextweek!" Hikari shouted in one long breath, her eyes squeezed shut. When she didn't hear Shinji say anything, Hikari slowly opened her blue orbs, only to find Shinji's own eyes staring back at her with disbelief, his dark eyes saying, 'Do you mind saying that again—_slower_ this time?' Her pale face reddened even more. "G-gomen. What I meant to say was, do you want to go to my New Years party next week? I-if you don't, it's all right and all..."

Hikari was afraid that Shinji might say no. She was surprised at that notion, but kept quiet. "Fine. Maybe." Her eyes widened at what Shinji had said.

"W-wha...?"

Sighing, Shinji ran a hand through his purple-brown hair and muttered to himself, "Why do girls always insist on making me repeat myself? Really." Turning around to face the shocked girl, he replied slowly, "Fine. I'll go to your party—" Hikari squealed with happiness and launched herself into Shinji's arms, hugging him tightly. "O-oi, get off me!" Shinji shouted his tanned face reddening a bit. "I only said that I _might_ come!"

Hikari only giggled before getting off the shocked boy. "Well, please do come. Everyone else will be there!" she exclaimed happily. "Well, I have to go now. See ya!"

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A week had past since Hikari had invited everyone to her party. She had cheered up considerably since then and was almost back to her happy self. Nozomi and Satoshi were the first to arrive at her party, later followed by Takeshi, Jun, and Kouki. The party had was well on its way, and Hikari still hadn't seen Shinji. Her bright blue orbs saddened a bit as she sat in her room while everyone was enjoying themselves downstairs.

Pulling on a crimson shirt with sequins sewn in to look like leaves and flowers, Hikari twirled around in front of her full length mirror, her black skirt fanning out beneath her. Tying her midnight blue hair up in a ponytail, the girl opened the door and went downstairs, pretending to enjoy the party.

Not believing the girl's façade, Jun and Kouki sat down next to their friend, trying to cheer the girl up with their comedy duo. Usually, it would've made Hikari laugh in an instant, but she had retreated back into her shell like before the party. It just wasn't like her.

Leaving the sulking girl alone, Jun and Kouki went to a corner, determined looks etched on their faces. "We have to make Hikari cheer up," Jun said, a frown present on his face. "It's just not like Hikari to be upset! What do you think we should do?"

Kouki rubbed his chin, thinking a bit. "Hmm...hmm...hmm, hmmm," he murmured, his brows furrowing in deep thought. Suddenly, a light bulb clicked and the Trainer snapped his fingers, grinning. "I know! We should put on some fireworks! Remember how much Hikari loved fireworks when we were younger?"

"Oh yeah! I remember!" Jun grinned as well, rushing over to the door. "I remember Dad having some fireworks in the shed. Let's go get them and then set them up! We'll make Hikari cheer up for sure!"

Hikari, on the other hand, was still upset that Shinji hadn't shown up. "Oh well," she said softly. "He _did _say that he might come. Leave it to Shinji to—"

"Hey, Hikari, what are you doing, sitting over there?" Looking up, the girl found Nozomi, Satoshi, and Takeshi surrounding the girl, each wearing a big smile. "C'mon, where's the old Hikari I know?" Nozomi continued, pulling the girl up. "It's a party, have some fun, why don't you?"

Hikari couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, you're right, Nozomi! Who cares if—" _Ding Dong_ "Shinji's here!"

"Shinji?" Takeshi and Satoshi asked, staring at each other in surprise. "What's Shinji doing here?"

Rushing over to the door, Hikari quickly opened it. True to her words, Shinji was standing out there, his hands in his pockets, looking bored. "Shinji, you made it!" Hikari said happily, grabbing the boy's hand and pulling him inside. "Great!"

"Shinji, what are you doing here?" Satoshi asked, grinning at his rival.

"The troublesome girl invited me, of course," Shinji replied. None of them noticed that Hikari and Shinji were still holding hands.

Suddenly, the door burst open and Jun and Kouki rushed inside. "Guys, guys, it's almost midnight! Come on, come on out, we have something to show you!"

Both teens rushed about the house, pushing everyone out into the starlit sky. Snow still littered the ground as Jun and Kouki forced everyone to sit down on the front porch. It was crowded; Ayako and Takeshi stood while Hikari was forced to sit on Shinji's lap.

Kouki rushed up in front of the party-ers, pushing a large clock along with him, positioning it to the side where everyone could see it. Clearing his throat, the teen bowed before everyone. "Ladies and gentlemen," he said in a loud voice, a grin present on his pale face. "Midnight is almost here. In a few seconds, the new year will come, and Jun and I have a present to all of you. So, if you would all stay here..."

Kouki didn't get to finish as Jun pulled the boy back behind several trees. The clock started its countdown—ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, "HAPPY NEW YEARS!!!" Fireworks burst through the dark night, lighting up the inky black sky with millions of colors.

Everyone's face was light up by the shower of sparks as Takeshi nudged Hikari and Shinji. "Hey, it's the New Years! Aren't you supposed to kiss someone?" he asked mischievously.

Both teen's faces erupted in red as Ayako and Nozomi giggled, forcing both Takeshi and Satoshi over to the cover of trees where Kouki and Jun were firing off fireworks. Once they were gone, Hikari turned her face back towards the sky, a small smile gracing her pink lips. "It's pretty, huh?" she asked.

When she got no reply, she turned to Shinji, only to have his lips come crashing down on her's in a short kiss. Red dusted both teens' cheeks when they pulled back as Shinji hugged the girl tighter. "Happy New Years," he murmured as they both watched the bright display.

* * *

Ah, I finally finished it! Man my hand hurts! Well, I hoped you all enjoyed it! 

Yes, Shinji is rich. I mean, he acts like an arrogant jerk. Rich people (in anime and manga and all that jazz) act like arrogan jerks. Put two and two together...and you get rich Shinji! Now he can by Hikari anything she wants!


End file.
